


Please Wake Up

by noroadstaken



Series: The Adventures of Anne & Will [8]
Category: & Juliet - Martin/West Read
Genre: Angst, Character Death, Dark dark shit, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Fluff but with a sad undertone, Heavy Angst, Hurt No Comfort, Major Character Injury, Sorry Not Sorry, like it could rival will's, this is extremely sad
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-09
Updated: 2020-05-09
Packaged: 2021-03-03 04:15:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,636
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24098686
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/noroadstaken/pseuds/noroadstaken
Summary: The premiere of Will and Anne's first play together goes worse than either of them could imagine.
Relationships: Anne Hathaway Shakespeare/William Shakespeare
Series: The Adventures of Anne & Will [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1672639
Comments: 1
Kudos: 5





	Please Wake Up

**Author's Note:**

> **WARNINGS: MAJOR CHARACTER DEATH. SOMEONE GETS MURDERED**
> 
> This is simply dark, dark shit. There's some fluff in there but I guess that's cancelled out by how dark the overall thing is. Sorry.

Will didn’t understand how the night ended like this as he sobbed into Anne’s hair, cradling her against his chest. Only four hours earlier they were in bed together, Will holding her close as she laughed. Will could hear the screams of Judith and Susanna behind him but all he could do was hold Anne as tight as he could and wish that she’d open her eyes for at least one more time.

_Four hours earlier…_

“Will, let me go.” 

Anne laughed, trying to escape from her husband’s embrace as he pulled her back against his chest and trailed a line of kisses down her neck. 

It was the premiere of & Juliet, the story Will and Anne had been working on ever since they came back from Paris, about the events of what happened there with Juliet and Romeo. Lance and Angelique were visiting to come and see the show with everyone, Juliet, Romeo, May and Francois having moved to England already. 

“No,” Will mumbled against her skin and Anne rolled her eyes. 

“I need to shower already. The makeup artist will be here soon.”

“Let’s shower together,” Will suggested, running a hand down Anne’s thigh. Anne leaned into him, a part of her mind debating whether they had enough time, but the logical side won out and she quickly climbed out of bed while Will was distracted. 

Will watched Anne as she walked into the hotel room’s adjoining bathroom, a smirk on his face as he planned to join her a few minutes later. 

“Don’t you dare think about following me!” 

Will laughed loudly. 

_ Three hours earlier… _

The hotel suite was busy with makeup artists, hairdressers and the eight occupiers running around and trying to get ready for the premiere. Anne was terrified, this was the first premiere where she was attending as a writer, not simply “William Shakespeare’s wife”. Will could see how nervous she looked as the makeup artist brushed powder onto her forehead. 

“Anne, everything’s going to be fine. I promise.” Will said, making his way over to her and giving her hand a gentle squeeze. 

“Famous last words, Will.” 

“ _Give me your hands, if we be friends, And Robin shall restore amends_.” Will quoted and Anne looked at him in confusion. “Those are actual famous last words.”

Anne rolled her eyes, realising he was quoting one of his plays. “Why did I marry you?”

“Because you love me.” Will kissed the top of Anne’s head, knowing she’d kill him if he ruined her make up before it was finished. 

“God knows why.”

“Can you two get a fucking room?!” Susanna yelled from the other side of the suite, where she was helping Romeo pick out a dress. 

“Susanna Anne Shakespeare, mind your language!”

_ Two hours earlier…  _

Anne’s makeup and hair had been finished and she was sat in a robe on her bed, reading a book and escaping the madness of the children getting ready in the other room. Suddenly, the door opened, and Anne looked up to see a frazzled Will coming into heir shared bedroom. 

“Judith accused Romeo of trying to wear the dress she’d already decided on and an argument is about to break out.”

Anne laughed and opened her arms for Will to crawl into them. Will immediately accepted the invitation, curling into Anne’s side and resting his head on her chest. Anne kissed the top of his head.

“She’ll get over it,” Anne said with a small shrug. “You want to read to me?”

“Can you read to me?” Will asked with a pleading look. Anne nodded.

“ _After breakfast, Adèle and I withdrew to the library, which room, it appears, Mr. Rochester had directed should be used as the schoolroom. Most of the books were locked up behind glass doors; but there was one bookcase left open containing everything that could be needed in the way of elementary works, and several volumes of light literature, poetry, biography, travels, a few romances, etc_.” 

Will looked up and stopped her. “Wait, do we have time? I don’t need to be getting my hair done or anything?”

“As long as the kids don’t decide to start murdering each other or anything, we have half an hour.” 

Will rested his head back against Anne’s chest and she carried on. They almost made it for another fifteen minutes before Juliet poked her head in and said if one of them didn’t come out Romeo might not make it to the premiere because Judith would have caused him bodily harm.

_ One hour earlier… _

“Will, if you and your ass in a suit isn’t by the door in two minutes, we’re leaving without you!” Anne called out throughout the hotel room.

Everyone was ready and waiting to leave except for Will. Anne and Will had managed to solve the dress issue, finding a suitable alternative Romeo was happy in so Judith could have her original dress back. The two were back as if nothing happened. 

“I can’t get this bloody tie fastened,” Will complained, walking out of the bedroom and into the main suite. 

Anne rolled her eyes and went over to help him. “I swear, you wouldn’t cope without me.”

“Probably not,” Will admitted with a sheepish grin. Anne took the tie and had it completed within a few minutes, smoothing it down tucking it into his suit jacket. 

“Let’s go.” 

Anne turned to leave but was stopped by Will grabbing her wrist and pulling her into his chest, placing a gentle kiss on her lips (being careful not to smudge the lipstick). He ran his hands down Anne’s sides and she melted into him for a moment, her face soft. 

“I love you.”

“I love you too.”

“Oh my god, can we go?” Susanna groaned, exiting the suite with the others following behind her. Will held out his arm for Anne, who took it with a grin as they exited after their family. 

_ The event…  _

Anne had never heard so many people calling out her name. She knew what these premieres were like, having been to many of Will’s previous ones, but it was completely different when everything she experienced was now also aimed at her. 

_ “Mrs Shakespeare, what’s it like being an official writer?” _

_ “Anne, can you look this way please?” _

_ “Mr Shakespeare, how do you feel sharing the spotlight with your wife?” _

Anne was very grateful for Will’s hand in hers, directing them to their first area. They posed for the cameras for five minutes, individually, together, and with the rest of their friends and family around them. After a while, Anne began to relax, laughing with May and Francois as Will went to the crowds of reporters to do interviews. She saw him glance at her occasionally, the goofy smile on his face with so much love shining in his eyes and Anne couldn’t help but blush. 

“Mrs Shakespeare, the fans are asking if you’d sign a few things?” The organiser asked, and Anne looked at her in shock.

“People want my autograph?” The woman nodded. 

“Go on, Anne. Your fans are waiting.” May joked, nudging her with their shoulder. Anne looked between them and Francois, not believing what was happening. 

“Go.” 

Francois’ gentle push on her shoulders got Anne moving, and a grin slipped onto her face. This is what Will must feel like all the time, and Anne couldn’t help but realise why he loved it. Being surrounded by the people you loved, feeling their support, but not only having that but knowing that thousands of people loved your work and came to support you. 

Anne allowed the woman to direct her to the group of fans who were eagerly awaiting her arrival, and she immediately started signing things. She went down the line, taking as much time as she could with each person, signing and taking the odd photo with a few when it happened.

“Will deserves better than you.”

“Wha-” 

Anne didn’t manage to finish her thought before she felt a searing pain in her stomach. She looked down to see a knife sticking out from her abdomen, and she heard the screams of people around her. 

Anne fell and suddenly, she was surrounded by people. Everything was blurred, and she couldn’t make out what anyone was saying, it all felt so far away as if she was in a dream.

“Someone call an ambulance!” Angelique shouted, having seen the whole thing occur. She ran to Anne’s side, Lance following behind her as he pulled off his jacket and handed it to her so Angelique could try to stop the bleeding. 

“I’m calling now!” Francois said. 

Angelique nodded and looked down at Anne. “Stay with me, sweetheart.”

Will appeared, having heard the commotion for where he was giving interviews, to see Anne on the floor gasping for breath, Angelique knelt by her side and Lance’s jacket getting soaked in Anne’s blood.

“Anne!” Will screamed, and as Lance held him back, he knew he’d never forget the heart-breaking cry that left Will’s mouth. “I need to go to her! Let me go!”

“Let Angelique do her…” Lance trailed off as he saw Anne’s chest stop moving and Angelique release the pressure on her stomach. 

Will ran to Anne’s side as Lance’s grasp on him loosened, holding her body against his chest, and not caring about the blood that covered him. He refused to believe what happened, Anne couldn’t have gone, he couldn’t survive without her.

“Anne, wake up. Please wake up.” Will sobbed into her hair as he cradled her limp body. Judith and Susanna were crying behind him, Juliet and Romeo comforting them as best they could, but he couldn’t focus on anything else but the body of his wife in his arms.

Will didn’t know how he would ever move on from this.

**Author's Note:**

> The book Anne reads is Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte.


End file.
